Guardian Unlimited will stream the first episode of acclaimed US drama The Wire from tomorrow.
The free streaming - a first for the website - will run until the following Friday on a special microsite, launching tomorrow at theguardian.com/thewire.
"The Guardian has been a fan of The Wire since it was first broadcast on FX," said Marc Sands, the Guardian's marketing director.
"We're surprised that such a powerful drama still only retains a cult following and we're pleased to be able to promote it in paper and on Guardian Unlimited to bring it to the attention of a much larger audience."
The Wire first screened in the US in 2002 on HBO, the channel behind shows such as The Sopranos, Six Feet Under and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
It has never been a mainstream success in Britain, where it is shown on digital channel FX, but it has met with near universal critical acclaim and has developed a loyal cult following.
"If Charles Dickens were alive today, he would watch The Wire," ran one plaudit, from the New York Times. "Unless, that is, he was already writing for it."
Critics laud The Wire for breaking new ground by following a single storyline with "unparalleled realism".
The first series concerns a police investigation into a drug gang in a Baltimore housing project, while later series have focused on other aspects of life in the east-coast city, such as unions, politics and education.
The drama was created by a former Baltimore Sun crime reporter, David Simon, who was also instrumental in the success of Homicide: Life on the Street. His co-writer, Ed Burns, is a former Baltimore detective.
There have now been four series of the show, with a fifth and final series focusing on the role of the media expected to air next year.
· To contact the MediaGuardian newsdesk email editor@mediatheguardian.com or phone 020 7239 9857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 7278 2332.
· If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication".